Researchers: Arizona growing in physical size annually

Using about 50 locations equipped with GPS technology around the state, researchers have determined that the movement of tectonic plates miles below the surface of Earth is causing Arizona to grow.

University of Arizona professor Rick Bennett said Arizona is part of the Pacific-North American plate boundary zone. The zone produces the largest earthquakes in the United States, but Arizona is in a "quiet" area of it despite the growth.

"As the plates move relative to one another, the surface of the earth responds," said Bennett. "It deforms and stretches -- in the case of Arizona -- causing faulting and contributing to the development of our mountain ranges."

Bennett said that Arizona mountains are slowly separating.

While there have been earthquakes in Arizona, Bennett said the last one that would have measured stronger than 7.0 on the Richter scale happened about 100,000 years ago.

Bennett said that Arizona expands about 3,000 square feet every year, equivalent to the size of a five-bedroom house.

"The expansion is occurring somewhere between Arizona's east and west boundaries, but we have not yet identified exactly where that stretching is taking place," he said.

When asked if Arizona is pushing California out into the Pacific Ocean, Bennett said there is two ways to look at things.

"You can think of it that way, or you can think of it that California is stretching out into the ocean and pulling Arizona out with it."

Bennett hopes that the continued study of what's going on under Arizona will lead scientists to find ways to more accurately predict when and where earthquakes will happen.

Favorite news memory: We have to go
back to October 15, 1979. I was a country
music air personality at KROP Radio in
Brawley, California, when we had a 6.7
earthquake. Thankfully, there were no deaths
and only minor injuries, but the entire
community was pretty freaked out and
listening to the station on their transistor
radios. I would not want to go through an
earthquake again, but it sure was a great
night to work in radio and see how it can
make a difference in people's lives.

First job: Working as a stringer
for 'The Arizona Republic' at high school
football games. My first real job was
flipping burgers at the old Sandy's
Hamburgers at 51st Avenue and Indian School
Road. My first radio job was as announcer at
KALJ radio in Yuma in 1977.

First concert: My Dad took me to see Jimmy Dean at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in the 1960's. It was before the Coliseum was built. The only thing I remember is Jimmy Dean singing his big hit "Big Bad John."

Favorite sports team: Phoenix
Roadrunners minor league hockey. My dad took
me to a game when I was in grade school, and
I was hooked. I wanted to be a radio hockey
play-by-play man. I used to take my cassette
recorder and sit up in the rafters of the
Coliseum and do play-by-play. It was great
later in life to also take my son to
Roadrunners games. Too bad the team just
folded, I'll miss them. (Going to the
Coyotes is fun, but they're not "my" team.)

Outside interests: My family and I
are active in our church - Shiloh Community Church in Phoenix.
Devin is a high school student at Scottsdale Christian Academy. He plays on the baseball, football, and basketball teams and sings in the choir. Obviously, we keep busy trying to go to all his events!
We enjoy going to movies, sporting events, and long road trips. We like to vacation at the Beach Cottages in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego. And I love to play catch, basketball, football with my son.